Have You Ever Seen A Daydreamer?
by noestheme
Summary: Simon Harttwick moved to Springwood with his mother from Puerto Rico for a fresh start in America. The house on Elm Street was beautiful, and his friend was someone he had conversed with since childhood. The glamour of the sleepy town would soon fade, however, when Simon's daydreams began to become less of an escape and more of a prison.
1. Fool's Paradise

"Si, did you take your pills?"

Simon glanced up from his half finished bowl of Cheerios and sighed, rubbing a hand over his face with a soft yawn.

"Yeah, ma," he replied after a moment, blinking a few times to wake himself up before pushing the bowl of soggy cereal away from him. He got up and slung his backpack over his shoulder with a huff, looking at his mother who had come over to him from the sink with a small smile on her lips.

"Goodness, Simon, you look like the dead," she said quietly, brushing her fingers against Simon's cheek and under the dark bags lining his eyes. Her gaze lingered on the band-aid on his nose, and she shook her head, taking a step back. "Have a good day at school, love. Be careful, alright?" Simon hesitated, then nodded, leaning over to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course, _Mami._ I'll be home before you know it." His mother chuckled and wiped a tear from her eye, nodding back. He gave her a wave and moved towards the door. He paused to bend down and scratch his cat, Benson, behind the ears. Benson gave him a satisfied mew, then proceeded to make his way down the basement stairs to take a nap somewhere. Simon stood up and walked out the front door, closing it behind him.

The glare of the sunlight made him squint, covering his eyes with one hand as he made his way down the porch steps and out to the yard. He walked to the rusty gate that barred the sidewalk from his home and opened it, immediately greeted by the yelling of his neighbor Patty.

"Si! Hey, Si, over here!" Simon turned his gaze to Patty Neuben and smiled, watching the dark skinned girl run in his direction. Patty and Simon had been very good friends since they were young, having been pen pals for a good number of years before Simon and his mother moved to Springwood, and Simon trusted Patty with his life. She was the only person at Springwood High that knew about his… issues. His thoughts were cut off when Patty drew near and she let out a soft puff of air. "Hey there, hotshot. Ready for Ms. Bender's Econ quiz?"

Simon made a face in response, which drew a laugh from Patty. "Alright, man, let's go. We'll miss the bus." Patty took his hand and proceeded to drag Simon along with a grin, Simon laughing as he ran as well. They reached the bus stop in record time, watching as it pulled up and opened its doors to the milling crowd of sleep-deprived teens that were pushing and shoving each other out of boredom. The two friends waited for the crowd to board the bus first before going in last, as to avoid the shoving and snide remarks so early in the morning. Patty let go of Simon's hand and made a beeline to a seat towards the back of the bus, waving Simon over.

Simon smiled and began walking, only to trip over something and go crashing to the ground. He heard some snickers above him and he looked up, rubbing the spot where his forehead had collided with the floor of the bus. Sitting next to Simon's resting place was a local bully named Joe. Simon never bothered to learn his full name and really never gave the guy the time of day, unless Joe decided to pick on him. Simon supposed this was one of those moments.

"Watch where you're going, fag," Joe said with a sneer. The comment drew a few snorts of laughter from the watching crowd. Simon felt his face heat up and he moved his gaze back to the dirty floor of the bus. He took a moment to collect himself before attempting to stand, only to feel Jo's boot collide with Simon's shin, knocking him over again.

"Whoops. My bad." Joe grinned down at him, making Simon shrink back into the seat he leaned on. Simon sighed softly and closed his eyes, standing slowly and making his way over to Patty, who gave him a sad look.

"I'm sorry, Si," she said quietly, putting a hand on Simon's shoulder. Simon simply shook his head and looked out the window, letting his tired brain sink into a warm lull. His gaze became unfocused, and he let his mind begin to wander. Simon began to fall, the bus dematerializing around him as he tumbled through an endless expanse of galaxies and stars. The silence was a gift and he felt himself smile.

Daydreams were an escape he couldn't obtain through sleep, since he physically was not able to do so. Simon was a diagnosed insomniac, and the only way he could rest was through daydreams.

 _Simon let himself fall and fall, feeling the wind ruffle dark locks of hair. What he wasn't expecting was a not so gentle landing on something hard and metal, knocking the wind out of him. Simon wheezed and sat up, eyes watering as he struggled to breathe. When he had calmed, he lifted himself up from the grate he had landed on and looked around, frowning. This had never happened in his daydreams before, and he didn't recognize the layout._

 _What was before him seemed to be a boiler room. Simon frowned, looking around in confusion. This was odd, he thought, rubbing the back of his neck. He decided that standing around like an idiot wasn't going to help his case, so he began to walk. The soft thuds of his footfalls joined the hiss of the steam billowing through the air from the pipes. His gaze went from the copper piping lining the ceiling to the large boilers that towered over him. He reached out with a trembling hand and touched the nearest boiler, but drew it back when a flash of white hot pain shot through his arm, making him cry out._

 _At this, he heard a low chuckle, making Simon freeze in place. He listened, straining his ears to pick up any more of the laughter. But none came. A shiver made its way up Simon's back and he let out a shaky sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before continuing on. The sounds of his shoes hitting the metal grating of the floor was deafening, filling his ears to the point where it was the only thing he heard. He found a set of stairs and leaned on the railing as he descended, looking around as he went._

 _He paused again when he heard the same low rumble of laughter echoing through the large room, eyes widening slightly. He turned his head, looking behind him but saw nothing. Turning back around, Simon moved a little faster down the stairs now, breaking into a jog as he reached the end of the flight. He found himself at something like a crossroads, and Simon's heart pounded furiously against his rib cage. He looked around and began to take a step forward to get a better look. Before he could, however, he felt something push him back against the railing. His back slammed against metal and he heard a crack, his teeth gritting and eyes shutting tightly._

 _The first thing Simon noticed was an overwhelming smell of smoke wafting in the air around him, almost like cigarette smoke. Next, he felt someone - or something - press up against him, their breath ghosting his cheek. It smelled of smoke as well, and Simon let out a soft whimper of fear, keeping his eyes tightly shut._

 _"I haven't seen_ ** _you_** _before," Simon heard a low voice mutter, the sound rumbling in the speaker's chest. Simon's breaths picked up and he scrunched up his nose. The person who spoke let out a hum, and Simon jumped when he felt something very sharp press against his stomach, dragging upwards. The person didn't press deep enough to cut, but just so that it hurt. When Simon winced in pain, the speaker chuckled, pausing the ascent of the sharp object. "Open your eyes, Si. Let me see those peepers.."_

 _Simon almost opened his eyes at the use of his nickname, but resisted the urge to look, shaking his head quickly. The sharp object pressed a little harder into Simon's stomach, making Simon gasp in pain. This time, his eyes did open, and what he saw made him cry out in pure terror._

 _Bright blue eyes stared at Simon, but that's not what drew his attention. The full-body burns were what made Simon tear up and begin to shake, breaths picking up as panic surged through him. This man was horribly burned, scarring and peeling skin covering his face and neck from what Simon could see. The man grinned, revealing crooked teeth, and began to laugh. He lifted his right arm, revealing the sharp object that had been pressed into Simon's stomach._

 _A glove with blades welded to it gleamed in the firelight, making Simon shake even more. The man tilted his head and raised the gloved hand even higher, as if poised to strike. Simon cringed back, whimpering once more, but froze again when the man lowered the blades, now pressing them underneath Simon's chin. The blades cut into the soft skin of Simon's neck, forcing him to look up as the man put pressure on them, making his chin tilt upwards._

 _"Aren't you somethin' special," the man hummed, a soft southern accent gracing a deep and rumbling tone. Simon stared at the man, his throat constricting as his chest tightened, anxiety and fear making it harder and harder to breathe. "I've never met a daydreamer before.." The man lifted a blade, brushing it against Simon's cheek right where his mother had just that morning before he left. "What a find, what a find.."_

 _Simon opened and closed his mouth, trying to get words out, but only a squeak managed to escape him. This seemed to amuse the man, because he laughed, digging the blades even more into Simon's chin. "So, Daydreamer," the man said with a grin, moving his face closer to Simon's. "If you can't sleep, how will I make you_ ** _scream_** _?"_

Simon was snapped out of his daydream with a jolt as the bus came to a stop. He blinked a few times and looked around in a panic, gaze landing on Patty, who was staring at him with a worried expression on her face.

"Si, are you alright?" Simon stared at her for a moment before letting out a shaky breath, nodding a little.

"Y-Yeah, I-.. I'm fine.." Patty watched him for a moment before nodding, ruffling Simon's hair as she stood and made her way off the bus. Simon sat very still for a moment, staring at his hands. He was brought out of his thoughts at the feeling of something warm and wet dripping down his neck. He reached up and touched the spot, drawing his hand back quick with a soft gasp as he saw the dark red color of blood staining the skin on his fingers.


	2. Head Trip

Following the incident on the bus, the rest of the day passed as normally as a school day could go. Patty said goodbye to Simon as she hurried off to her honors english course, leaving Simon to make his way to chemistry. The day was slow and uneventful until Economics, where Simon and Patty met up in front of the closed and locked door leading into the classroom. The students milled around in the hallway, chattering among themselves as they waited for the teacher to unlock the door after coming back from lunch.

Simon happened to glance over at Patty, who he realized was currently staring at his neck. Simon stared back until she looked up and turned red when she saw Simon had noticed her staring.

"Sorry. What the hell happened to your neck?" Simon reached up and touched the four little cuts under his chin and shrugged.

"I must have nicked myself shaving." Patty frowned.

"Simon, you don't shave." Simon didn't get to answer that luckily because the teacher had arrived just then with the keys into the room. Simon pushed past the other students and made his way inside, choosing to ignore Patty's exasperated sigh behind him. They took their seats, Simon pulling out his half-finished study guide as Patty settled in her desk next to him. Simon looked up and moved his gaze to her right arm - or, lack of, he should say - and hummed.

"You got your prosthetic?" he asked, grabbing Patty's attention. She smiled and nodded, leaning over and rummaging around for the plastic prosthetic arm in her bag. Simon looked away out of respect and busied himself with the study guide. He flipped through it, frowning at the unanswered questions before filling in what he could, then paused when he saw a plastic finger tapping the paper. He looked up and laughed when he saw Patty's arm reaching out. "What do you want?"

Her face, however, wasn't jovial. She was looking at him, worried, eyeing the marks on his neck. "Si, you know you can tell me anything, right?" she said quietly as Ms. Bender walked past with the tests. Simon watched his best friend for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, of course. You're my friend." He turned back around, trying to ignore the feeling of Patty's gaze burning into the back of his head.

"Ok, guys, you've got the period to do this, so I expect stellar grades. Good luck." Simon waited for the teacher's say-so, then busied himself with the test. He scribbled his name down, then went to the first question.

 _ **1.**_ _Microeconomics is concerned with;_

 _ **A.**_ _The economy as a whole_

 _ **B.**_ _The electronics industry_

 ** _C._** _The study of individual economic behavior_

 _ **D.**_ _The interactions within the entire economy_

Simon made a face and sighed, slumping back in his chair. Turning his head, he was able to stare out the window at the outside, his point of view directly across from a small grove of trees across from the school building. The sky was a dazzling blue, clouds dotting the vast space here and there. Simon felt a smile appear on his lips, and finally his mind began to wander.

 _He was flying, far away from the classroom and the test, away from the small grove of trees and the small clouds in the sky. The was over an ocean, a desert, a rain forest. He spotted villages and castles, farmland and moors speckled across the earth below him. He closed his eyes and let out a laugh, relishing the feeling of the wind in his hair and through his clothing. He was startled from this moment when the wind suddenly stopped, the air stale and humid._

 _Simon opened his eyes and looked around in a panic, seeing he was in a dark room, red lights the only illumination in sight. He looked down and let out a cry, beginning to windmill his arms rapidly when he noticed that he was now hovering in mid air. The drop was almost immediate, Simon feeling his stomach slam to his feet as he began to fall, a scream of pure terror tearing from his lungs._

 _He cartwheeled in free fall, squirming around until he was splayed out once more, eyes facing downwards at the large metal walkway that was rushing up to meet him. Simon slammed his eyes shut right before he hit the ground, but the hit never came. He kept his eyes closed, his ragged breaths filling his ears in the silence, and waited. Nothing seemed to happen. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around._

 _He was hovering maybe three inches from the ground, arms and legs still outstretched. Simon let out a shaking breath and relaxed the best he could in his position, looking around a little more now that he knew he wasn't going to become a human pancake. He was back in the boiler room from earlier, which didn't help stem the growing ball of anxiety in his gut. Simon struggled for a moment, grunting as he tried to free himself from whatever invisible force holding him in place in the air. He got one arm free, then felt himself go limp as whatever it was let go. He went crashing down, the wind being knocked out of him for the second time that day. Simon let out a wheeze, tears brimming in his eyes as he struggled to get a breath in._

 _"Guess you could say I left you.. Breathless?" Simon raised his head at the voice and the following cackle that echoed around him. He didn't see anyone in his direct line of sight, but Simon knew the man from before was there with him. "Looking for something?" Simon scrambled to his feet and wheeled around, face to face with the same burned man from before - wicked grin and all. Before Simon could react, the man raised his bladed glove and took a swipe at Simon's chest._

 _"_ _ **Fuck!**_ _" The tips of the blades tore through Simon's shirt, grazing the skin of his chest just enough that they left deep red marks that beaded with blood. Simon stumbled back, hand clutching the tattered remains of his shirt as he stared at the man that slowly bore down on him._

 _"Let's have some fun, huh, Si-Si? Let's play hide and shriek. You hide, and when I find you, you shriek! I'll give you a head start." Simon felt a chill run up his spine as the ghostly sounds of children singing began to fill his head._

 ** _One, two, Freddy's coming for you.._**

 ** _Three, four better lock your door.._**

 _Simon let out a sob, turning on his heel and dashing down the hall. He broke into a sprint, trying to ignore the singing children as much as he could as he tried to find some place to hide._

 ** _Five, six, grab your crucifix.._**

 ** _Seven, eight, better stay up late.._**

 _He darted behind a large water heater and pressed up against it, willing himself to quiet his frantic breaths to soft bursts of air. He shut his eyes and listened for the man or the children. Silence except for the soft hissing of the steam. Simon slowly relaxed and let himself breathe normally again. He glanced around slowly, checking the left and right before returning back to the front. Before he settled, however, the man appeared from thin air and pinned Simon to the heater. The man raised his gloved hand and grinned at him before speaking._

 _" Nine, ten, never .. Well, the rest doesn't really apply to you, now does it?" As the man's hand slashed down, Simon let out an ear piercing shriek._

" ** _SIMON!_** " Simon cried out as he was ripped from his daydream into the waking world, the boiler room and the burned man dissolving before his eyes. They were replaced by the terrified face of Patty, who was shaking him harshly. Simon looked around, the confused and frightened looks of his classmates coming into focus. Simon noted he was breathing heavily, wetness on his face indicated he had been crying. A sharp pain raced across his chest and he grunted, curling in on himself. He looked down and couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped him when he saw the cause of the pain.

Four identical scratch marks had appeared on his chest, his shirt ripped to match them. Simon looked at Patty, feeling himself shaking as a new wave of tears overtook him and he collapsed against her, sobbing into her shirt.


	3. Fond Hope

Patty helped him down to the nurse's office, Simon hissing in pain if he moved his body the wrong way. The cuts weren't too deep, which Simon was thankful for, but they still hurt like a sonofabitch. Patty led him into the main office, the secretaries immediately jumping up and rushing around, trying to find the nurse as Simon sank down into a chair near the wall so he could rest for a moment. Patty eyed him worriedly, looking at the cuts on his chest and his neck.

"Simon, you're really pale," she mumbled, kneeling down next to Simon's chair. Simon huffed a weak laugh, shrugging a little.

"S'what I get for being slashed by some dude with finger knives, I guess." Patty frowned at him.

"What?" Before Simon could reply, the nurse was hurrying over to the two of them, immediately fussing with Simon. Simon protested weakly when they tore the remainder of his shirt off his body, shivering as the cool air of the office hit his heated skin. The nurse examined the cuts, then saw the four under his chin. Her face turned pale, eyes widening. She turned to one of the secretaries and whispered something, making the secretary blanch. The secretary nodded and rushed over to the phone, dialing a number.

All the while, Simon and Patty shared confused glances, Simon flinching every once in awhile when the nurse touched one of the cuts. After a moment of thorough checking, the nurse sat back and looked at Simon, a fake looking smile turning her lips upwards.

"Mr. Harttwick, I just need you to answer a few questions while we get you patched up, alright?" Simon shot a look at Patty, who shrugged. He looked back at the nurse, then spoke.

"I'd rather call my mother, if that's alright with you." The nurse tensed a little, then hummed under her breath.

"You may after the questions. Please, Mr. Harttwick - they're very simple." Simon eyed the nurse for a moment, then nodded. The nurse smiled a little easier now, nodding back. "Alright, Simon- can I call you that?" Simon nodded again. "Wonderful. Now, Simon, I need to know if you were _sleeping_ when this happened." Simon stared at the nurse, then burst into a fit of giggles, which were cut off when he pulled at the cuts on accident.

"Ma'am, not to be disrespectful, but I haven't had a good night's sleep in my entire life." The nurse frowned at him.

"Right, that's- that's right, you have insomnia.." She looked over at the secretary, who looked just as confused as the nurse did. "Alright, Simon- what _were_ you doing when this happened?" Simon shrugged.

"Daydreaming," he said simply. The nursed huffed a laugh.

"Well, that doesn't-" she stopped, however, all the color draining from her cheeks once again. "Day _dreaming_." Simon heard a chorus of gasps and whimpers, which just confused him more. He looked at Patty, who was frowning.

"What does his daydreaming have to do with this?" Patty piped in after a moment, turning the nurse's attention to her. All of the adults in the office shared worried looks. The nurse sighed and looked at Simon.

"Simon, there's a doctor coming to see you in a few moments. His name is Dr. Gordon, and he's from the local clinic Westin Hills." Patty stood up, making everyone jump in surprise.

"Westin Hills is a _psychiatric facility_ ," she said loudly, bearing down on the nurse. "Simon is not _crazy_. Do those cuts look like something he made up to you?" The secretary rushed over and tried to calm Patty down as the nurse began to explain.

"We-We aren't bringing him in because we think something is wrong with Simon's brain. He's a specialist in things like this. He runs a group of kids like Simon, and I brought him in for consultation." Patty still glared at the nurse, making Simon feel uneasy.

"They won't lock me up..?" Simon asked timidly, eyeing Patty and the nurse carefully. The nurse turned to him and gave him a kind smile.

"No, hon. He's just going to ask you some questions and then give his opinion." Simon was quiet for a moment, mulling it over in his head. Patty watched him, tense and ready to attack at any moment. Simon, after some thinking, nodded.

"Yeah, ok."

* * *

It took Dr. Gordon over an hour to arrive at Springwood High. Gordon was a thin man with long, greying hair. He wore a tweed jacket and looked about as doctor-ish as a man could get. Simon made a face, immediately disliking the doctor. To everyone's surprise, however, someone followed behind him. The secretaries began to fuss and bustle around as the newcomer walked in timidly behind Dr. Gordon.

She was a few inches shorter than Dr. Gordon, long brown hair bunched up in beautiful curls. She wore something akin to Dr. Gordon's attire, but she seemed to make it work. What grabbed Simon's attention, however, was the grey shock of hair parted to the left. Simon held back a soft laugh, remembering the old horror movie trope of your hair turning white from pure terror. He wondered what might have scared the woman that badly.

The woman caught Simon staring and smiled kindly at him, leaving Dr. Gordon to talk with the nurse and walking over to where Simon and Patty were seated.

"Hi there. Simon, right?" Simon nodded, giving the woman a smile back. "Hi, Simon. My name is Nancy. I'm working with Dr. Gordon on the trials over at Westin." Her gaze fell on the heavy gauze wrapped around Simon's bare chest. She grimaced, as if reminded of something, then hummed. "I heard that you were daydreaming when this happened?" Again, Simon nodded. She nodded as well, kneeling down next to Patty. She lifted her gaze once more to look at Simon. "Simon, some of the questions Dr. Gordon will ask you may sound very strange, but I want you to trust me when I say they're for a good reason. Can you do that for me?"

Simon looked at Nancy and nodded. He felt as if he could trust the young woman, though they had never met before. Something in her eyes told Simon she knew what she was talking about and wanted desperately to help him. Nancy smiled and nodded back, placing a hand on Simon's shoulder just as Dr. Gordon walked over. Gordon gave Simon a smile, which Simon didn't return.

"Hey, Simon. I'm Neil Gordon, head of the pattern nightmares trial over at Westin Hills. I hear you had a bit of an incident?"

 _Yeah, you could say that_ , Simon thought bitterly. He nodded once more, and Gordon smiled again. "Alright, well I'm going to ask you a couple questions, and I want you to answer them as honestly as you can, ok?" Simon wasn't sure why they were talking to him like he was a scared child, but again he nodded. "Fantastic. Alright, Simon, first question."

Gordon sat next to Simon, looking at him intently. "Were you awake or asleep?"

"Awake, I have insomnia," Simon replied automatically. Gordon frowned and hummed, scribbling something down on a notepad he had placed in his lap. Simon watched in silence, then looked over at Nancy and Patty, who were conversing quietly in the corner.

"Alright, Simon, next question." Simon's attention turned back to Gordon, who was watching him intently. "What were you doing at the time of the incident?"

"Daydreaming," Simon replied. So far this questioning session felt like a rerun of the past hour and a half he'd been here.

" _Daydreaming_ ," Gordon mumbled, scribbling down something else. "Alright, what was happening in the daydream?"

This gave Simon a pause, brows furrowing as he tried to remember the daydream.

"Well.. it.. It started like any of my daydreams," Simon started, staring at his hands. "I was flying.. Flying really high in the sky, above the school and above the world. I could see millions of stars and planets." Gordon nodded, writing as Simon talked. "Then it.. Kinda stopped there. I was floating in midair and it had gotten really hot all of a sudden. I opened my eyes and I was hovering above this.. Boiler room." Simon saw Nancy's head turn at this, making Simon wonder a little more about her.

Gordon nodded again, continuing to write.

"Alright, Simon, what happened next?" Simon thought for a moment, the terrifying chase replaying in his head.

"I fell and this.. This man started to chase me. He had this.. Really filthy red and green sweater on.. Uh.. a torn up old brown hat.." Simon didn't notice Nancy walking towards him very slowly, her eyes wide and her face pale. "And his.. His right hand had this.. This glove on it. It wasn't a regular glove, though, it was like..like.."

"Knives for fingers." Gordon and Simon jumped at Nancy's voice, turning to look at her. She was watching Simon with a look of fear in her eyes. Simon stared back, confused and frightened.

"Yeah.. H-.. How did you know that?" Gordon and Patty looked between the two of them, looking more confused than Simon felt. Nancy let out a shaky breath, closing her eyes.

"It-... It's a very, very long story. One I haven't really thought about in a long time." Simon stared at Nancy, swallowing hard. "Simon, can you take a walk with me, maybe?" Nancy looked at Gordon for approval, and the doctor blinked a few times before nodding quickly, frowning. Simon stood with the help of Nancy and Patty, looking at Patty as Nancy began to lead him out of the office. He gave his friend a reassuring smile and a thumbs up, which Patty returned with a smile of her own.

When Nancy and Simon were out of earshot of the office, she turned to look at him as they made their way down the hallway. "Simon, I have one more question for you." Of course, Simon nodded, curious and ready to learn something about what the hell was going on. Nancy took a breath and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before speaking again.

"Have you ever heard of a man named Fred Krueger?"


End file.
